Community Education

Local Night to Shine event looking for ‘buddy’ volunteers

Night to Shine, an event that celebrates people with special needs, is looking for “buddy” volunteers to accompany the guests for the night.

Organizer Harbor Christian Center needs 225 buddies to pull off the prom-style event, scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Tom Taylor YMCA.

Buddy volunteers must be at least 16 years old, pass a background check “and have a kind heart for our guests,” said Ric Hansen, who organizes Night to Shine through the church.

Harbor Christian Center launched a local Night to Shine eight years ago after hearing about the Tim Tebow Foundation, a Christian organization with a special needs ministry. It gives people with special needs a night to feel celebrated and valued.

More than 800 churches around the world host Nights to Shine.

“For guests and their families, this night can feel transformative,” Hansen said. “For volunteers, the event becomes a highlight of the year. They see first-hand the smiles, the tears of joy, the confidence it ignites. Honestly, it turns out to be as big a night for them as it is for our guests.”

Night to Shine needs more volunteers in order to make this year’s event a success. Night to Shine provides local special needs residents with a night that honors and values them. Photo courtesy of Night to Shine

Guests enter via a red carpet, complete with applause celebrating their arrival. Photographers snap pictures all night, a king and queen are crowned, and guests participate in dancing, karaoke, limo rides, and food.

“We’ve come to appreciate how Night to Shine raises awareness about inclusion and disability in a joyful way, and how it unites Gig Harbor around a shared cause,” Hansen said. “And, let’s face it, it’s just a blast.”

Click here for information about becoming a buddy volunteer.